Snowdrops at Ragley

The Snowdrops are now out at Ragley and were the highlight for many visitors who came to the NGS(National Garden Scheme) Open Day last Sunday.

Visitors paid £3 to visit the gardens and all proceeds were donated to the NGS who support a number of charities.

Library Books restored by NADFAS

A two year project to restore some of the antique books at Ragley has been completed thanks to the work of dedicated volunteers.

The books in the Library have recently been restored by volunteers from the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies, who visited Ragley once a week.  The process which involved checking and cleaning each book one by one using special brushes to avoid damage to the paper.

The Library at Ragley is home to over 10,000 books, with a further 20,000 to be found elsewhere in the House. 

Ragley win the Warwickshire Sizzle Off

Customers will be able to taste a new product officially crowned Warwickshire’s tastiest

speciality sausage for the first time this weekend (5^th Febraury).

Two Alcester businesses have come together to produce the award winning gourmet sausage which was awarded first place in the Speciality category at the Heart of England Fine Foods Warwickshire Sizzle Off.

Ragley Estate Meats have created the new ‘Hogans Happy Pork Sausage’ using RagleyRare Breed Pork, Apple, Apricot and cider from local producer Hogans.

Allen Hogan of Hogan’s cider said: “We are delighted that a Ragley Estate Meats sausage made with Hogan’s Cider has won Warwickshire’s Speciality Sausage of 2011 with this classic combination of pork and apple.  If you are discerning about your food, you’ll know Ragley Estate Meats and likewise, if you appreciate cider, you’ll know Hogan’s.  A case of two organisations passionate about what they do, combining excellent craftsmanship with superb ingredients, resulting in a winning formula.”

Vanda Cookes of Ragley Estate Meats and Allen Hogan from Hogan's Cider

Ragley Estate Meats also received a Highly Commended award for their ‘Chilli Beef Sizzler’, a spicy blend of Ragley Beef, Chillies and Pepper at the Sizzle Off which took place in Stratford last week.

Both of the new sausages will be available from Saturday 5^th February at Ragley Estate Meats counter at Hillers Farm Shop in Dunnington when customers will be able to sample the new flavours for themselves.

Vanda Cookes of Ragley Estate Meats, who came up with the recipe says; “We are really proud that we have created Warwickshire’s best speciality sausage and we hope that customers will enjoy sampling the new flavours we have created.”

More information on where to find the Farm Shop and links to the new Ragley Estate Meats

online shop can be found at www.ragleyestatemeats.com .

Jools Holland Concert Announced for 2nd July

The setting will be pure magic, the ambience spectacular….and the crowd will be jumping!

The piano maestro Jools Holland will be back on stage at Ragley Hall near Alcester on Saturday 2 July with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra for a night of pure boogie-woogie. He will be joined by his 17-piece Orchestra and his special guests including Ruby Turner in a concert eagerly anticipated in the area.

Jools has previously appeared on stage at Ragley Hall in 2004 and 2006, both highly successful evenings; Keith Louch, event Director of IML Concerts, said, “It’s a real pleasure to bring Jools back to Ragley Hall for a night in the ambient setting of the Estate, with the Hall as a majestic backdrop and I am certain the audience will experience a tremendous show. It will be a picnic-style concert and we encourage the audience to bring their own chairs, rugs, cushions and picnics”.

Mr Louch added, “We have maintained special priced tickets for children under 16 at £15 with entry for the under 5’s absolutely free, no ticket required. Over the past 11 years of organising shows around the UK, we have found a growing number of children attending his concerts and hope that the reduced prices will encourage more families to join us.”

The Rhythm & Blues Orchestra has evolved from the initial seeds in 1985 when Jools and his drummer Gilson Lavis began touring as a duo, into a disciplined 18-piece band capable of selling out all year all over Britain and Europe – from Canterbury Cathedral and Kew Gardens to the Glastonbury Festival – and filling the Albert Hall each Christmas in what has become an annual ritual.

Now in its 35^th series and having completed over 250 shows, Later..With Jools has become one of the top-drawer television music programmes and has assisted many bands to higher profiles. Jools has also continued to present shows on BBC Radio 2.

So grab your tickets, your friends and create a group, bring a picnic to Ragley Hall and get ready to boogie-woogie with this accomplished all-round international artist, Mr Jools Holland.

Gates open at 5pm with the support artists on stage from 6.30pm. There’s even a grand firework finale to round off what promises to be a magical night out at one of the County’s most picturesque settings.

To book call IML Concerts on 01603 660444 or on-line at www.imlconcerts.co.uk.

Tickets are also available through the Warwick TIC on 01926 492212 and Shakespeare Country on 0870 160 7930

Advance tickets cost £35 with a discount for children ages 5-15 of just £15. Under 5 years are free with no ticket required.

Groups – book more than 10 adults at one time and get 10% discount – available only through IML Concerts Box Office.

Charity Lantern Walk to be held at Ragley

Warwickshire based bereavement support Charity Guy’s Gift will be holding its Christmas Lantern Walk once again on 12^th December at Ragley Hall.   The charity hopes to build on the success of last year’s event when around 30 families took part in the walk.  
The object is to allow children, young people and their families to take time to reflect on the life of someone special to them who has died at a time of year which can be difficult for bereaved families.

Stuart Potter, Service Manager at Guy’s Gift, said:  “Many of the people we support can find Christmas without a loved one a very daunting and isolating experience.  Christmas is a family orientated time of year and for children it should be a time of anticipation and fun.  For some children, when someone special has died, it can be a very lonely and sad time.

The Lantern Walk is a way for children and families to share their memories of that special person in a positive way, and an opportunity to meet others who may experience similar feelings.

Ragley Hall provides a fantastic setting for a very meaningful Lantern Walk that is part of the integrated support for bereaved children provided by the charity.”

The Walk will be taking place from 4pm-6pm through the Gardens at Ragley and local youngsters who have been affected by the death of someone close to then are welcome to take part providing they register with the organisers in advance.  
Guy’s Gift is a registered charity providing support for bereaved children, young people and their families in South Warwickshire following the death of a parent, sibling or other significant person in their life. 
For more information or to register for the Lantern Walk please contact Guy’s Gift on 0845 4673035 or visit www.guysgift.co.uk .

2010 Christmas Market set to be bigger and better than ever!

Ragley’s 2010 Christmas Market and Fayre is bigger and better than ever with over forty stalls taking over the ground floor of the House and a great selection of handmade and unusual products .  It will be the perfect place to pick up a special Christmas gift with stalls including jewellery and accessories, childrenswear, quilts and beauty products.  Plus there will be plenty of festive treats to stock up on with cakes, sweets, fudge and liqueurs.

 If you need a break from shopping, there will be carol singers and musicians performing on the South Staircase and Red Saloon at various times throughout the day, creating a great atmosphere.

For the younger ones, Father Christmas will be waiting in the Great Hall with a present for every child and there will be craft activities to keep them busy.  Our storyteller will also be gathering the children around the fire in the library with a traditional Christmas tale which will entertain all ages.

A warm Chritsmas welcome awaits

Hot food will be provided by Ragley Estate Meats in a covered marquee on the terrace along with hot drinks, traditional mince pies and mulled wine flowing.

According to event organiser Lisa Cope; “Following the success of last year’s event, we have been inundated with craftspeople and local retailers wanting to come along to the market, so we decided to increase the number of stalls in the House.  We are really looking forward to welcoming people to enjoy the shopping and the festive atmosphere.”

The Christmas Market and Fayre is taking place on 27^th & 28^th November from 10am-4pm each day and admission is £6 for Adults and £5 for Children.

For more information and a full list of stallholders visit www.ragleyhall.com or call 01789 762090.

Visitors Flock to Fireworks

Visitors flocked to Ragley Hall’s Bonfire & Fireworks event, which took place on Saturday 6^th December in the grounds of the stately home.

Nearly twice the number of people attended this year’s display as in 2009, bringing the total for the event to over 5,000.

Visitors enjoyed a display by Dragonfire Professional Fireworks and the reflection of the bonfire in the Lake proved to be an impressive spectacle.

Other attractions included a fire show, music provided by Touch FM, fairground rides and a range of food and drink stalls.

This is only the second year that Ragley has held a Bonfire Night event and the overwhelming number of visitors did cause local traffic problems.

According to Rebecca Smith, Marketing Executive at Ragley;

“We anticipated and prepared for a modest increase in visitors for this year, but the attendance exceeded our expectations and regrettably a number of cars were unable to gain entry.

As with any event where tickets are not sold in advance, it is very difficult to predict how many people will attend, but we felt that we were well prepared.  However, it seems that the poor weather on Friday night, when many other displays were taking place and the dry conditions on Saturday led to a much larger number of visitors than we had imagined.

We have received some excellent comments from visitors and we will look at all of our customer feedback when planning for next year’s event.”